Entertainment

12 Everyday Items Get the High-Tech Treatment

Everyday Items Get High-Tech Treatment

1. Smart Toothbrush

Called the Kolibree smart toothbrush, the device provides details about your brushing habits, improving your overall dental health. Its price will range from $100 to $200, depending on the model (details about different versions aren't yet available).

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

2. Connected Underwear

Connected sex toy company OhMiBod launched the blueMotion massager and underwear set ($129). The vibrator, which is controlled via an app for solo play or by a partner, has a Bluetooth chip inside it, which slides into the front of the blue panty.

Image: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

3. Lynx Smart Grill

The Lynx smart grill is voice-activated, and serves up food based on user preferences. The concept grill, which is expected to hit the market in 2015, connects to a recipe database, gives you instructions and even sends text messages at key times, including when it's time to flip your food.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

4. iOptik Contact Lenses

The Innovega eyewear system (called iOptik) is made up of two parts: glasses and contact lenses. The contact lenses give you enhanced focusing abilities, so you can see near and far at levels beyond what the normal eye can see. When paired with the accompanying glasses, it creates a Google Glass experience (but with enhanced vision).

Image: Innovega

5. Whirlpool Cooktop Concept

Whirlpool showed off a cooktop concept that turns a typical kitchen surface into a stovetop, but also a place to check the weather, find recipes on Pinterest, research cooking tips and post pictures to Facebook.

Image: Whirlpool

6. LG Heart Rate Earphones

The LG Heart Rate Earphones use sensor technology to measure blood-flow signals from the auricle of the ear. This captures biometric data such as heart rate and maximal oxygen consumption. A clip-on medallion allows the device to wirelessly stream music directly to the earphones, as well as take phone calls.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

7. Nest Protect

Nest Protect takes the guessing game out of fire alarms, as well as the annoying factor. It speaks with a human voice (no beeping!) and when it goes off, you can wave your hands in front of it to let it know the situation is under control.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

8. Panasonic Hair Dryer

Panasonic is going beyond its core product categories, and getting into the beauty business. It recently announced a hair dryer that actually adds moisture to hair, instead of removing it.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

9. Sleep Number Bed

Manufacturer Sleep Number introduced the x12 bed at CES this year. It is a voice-activated bed that monitors your sleep, and aims to improve the quality of your snoozing. With a few commands, it can adjust firmness, elevation or give you a massage.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

10. Technogym Treadmill

When the Technogym treadmill system is paired with Google Glass, it accepts voice commands, displays running data and allows the user to video chat with a personal trainer.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

11. Babolat Connected Tennis Racket

The Babolat Play ($399) is the world's first connected tennis racket. Sensors on the handle collect data about the player's swing, power, endurance, technique and ball impact. That information is then sent to its accompanying app, so users can analyze their skills and ultimately improve how they play.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

12: 3D-Printed Jewelry

This jewelry from AmericanPearl may not be Wi-Fi-enabled, but it does have a high-tech twist. From engagement bands and wedding rings to cocktail jewelry, the AmericanPearl website) lets you design and 3D-print stunning jewelry. The base of the jewelry can be printed in gold, silver or platinum.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

Innovation may not be synonymous with tennis rackets, toothbrushes or underwear, but 2014 is the year that everyday items will undergo a massive high-tech makeover.

During last week's International CES, companies launched products in line with the "the Internet of Things" trend — a term that refers to bringing Wi-Fi connection, and ultimately, the Internet to common objects.

We saw a smart bed from Sleep Number that watches you while you sleep, tracking your snooze cycle and even adjusting your position so you don't snore. There was also a smart grill from Lynx, which uses voice commands and cooking algorithms to remember how you like your meat cooked.

For a full look at these connected products and more, check out the gallery, above.

CES 2014

Sony Wants to Compete with Oculus Rift

Sony may move into the territory market dominated by the Oculus Rift and other virtual-reality headsets with an upgrade to its head-mounted display. The company's HMZ-T3W headgear has been around since September of last year, although it was designed to be primarily a video device. With a prototype head tracker attached, the visor-like entertainment device becomes an immersive game environment.

Image: Mashable

3D Print Your Face on an Action Figure

Maybe you've always wanted to have curves like Kate Upton's, or muscles like Channing Tatum's. Or you just want to own an action figure of yourself, but with a better body. Look no further — your slightly narcissistic dreams are about to come true.

Image: Mashable

Vizio Wins 4K at CES

This is the one. Pete Pachal claimed Vizio won "4K at CES," with both the largest and cheapest 4K TVs at the show.

Image: Mashable, Pete Pachal

LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow app

We caught up with LeVar Burton, of Reading Rainbow and Roots fame, at the 2014 International CES and talked about the newest version of Reading Rainbow. After PBS canceled the series in 2009, Burton relaunched it last June as a tablet app via RRKidz, an educational company he co-founded.

Image: Mashable

Reebok CHECKLIGHT

Put simply the Reebok Checklight is a wearable for your head that measures how hard it got hit. It uses multiple motion sensors to provide actionable impact data to help assess an athlete before continuing to play and is designed for all helmeted and non-helmeted contact sports and activities.

Image: Mashable, Pete Pachal

Ozobot

Ozobot, a game-playing robot, wants you to get physical with digital games — and it could be on to something. Ozobot is a tiny, one-inch-tall robot designed to work on top of tablet and smartphone screens, as well on as paper.

Image: Ozobot

Mute Your TV With a Simple 'Shhh'

PointGrab's gesture-driven interfaces are at least as old as the Microsoft Kinect and Leap Motion, but PointGrab's software solution works with standard 2D cameras. In one demonstration, it used a Logitech webcam.

Image: Mashable

E-Ink Wall Clock- Amusing and Pricey

Witness this 3-foot long digital clock with a huge E Ink screen. It's powered by a tiny watch battery that should last about a year and is a lot lighter than it should be considering how large it is. More than anything, it's a great example of the goofy gadgets that populate CES- and it will only set you back $499.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Crowds Galore

A general view of the CES Showroom in Las Vegas, NV on January 7th, 2014.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

FINALLY, a Grill-Cleaning Robot

Think of the $120 Grillbot as a Roomba for your grill. It’s got three motors, replaceable wire brushes and the ability to change directions as it bumps into the sides of your grill.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-Hansen

Mio Heart Monitor

Mio Global unveiled Mio LINK, a sleek band worn on the wrist designed to monitor continuous heart rate data. Now runners and cyclists can get all the benefits of heart training without needing to use an uncomfortable chest strap. Available beginning in March for only $99.

Image: Mashable, Pete Pachal

SNL at Yahoo Keynote

"Saturday Night Live" cast members Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson made a surprise guest appearance during the Yahoo keynote presentation at the 2014 International CES on Tuesday, with a hilarious "Weekend Update" segment tailored specifically to the tech crowd.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

Intel Plans to "Make Everything Smart"

CEO Brian Krzanich shows off the new Einstein chip. The company hopes this SD-sized processor will push smart technology to new frontiers.

Image: Mashable

Whirlpool "Kitchen of 2020"

Whirlpool is showing off an interactive cooktop concept at 2014 International CES that not only turns a typical kitchen surface into a stovetop, but also a place to check the weather, find recipes on Pinterest, research cooking tips and post pictures to Facebook.

Image: Whirlpool

Sony 4K Camcorder

If you're looking to produce real 4K video on the cheap, look no further than Sony's FDR-AX100 Handycam — a consumer 4K camcorder that costs a mere $1,999.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-Hansen

Navia Self-Driving Shuttle

France-based robotics company Induct announced on Monday that its intelligent, electric and driverless vehicle is now available in the U.S.. The Navia shuttle will likely be used at public places such as airports, college campuses, theme parks or sports arenas to eliminate pollution and congestion, rather than at home.

Image: Induct

iRobot Scooba 450

The iRobot Scooba 450, the manufacturer claims, is three times as effective as its predecessor. However, the increase in power also comes with a price tag increased by $100.

Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Las Vegas

A view of the Vegas Strip from CES 2014.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

Packing the same technology as its Z1 big brother, the Xperia Z1 Compact has a 4.3-inch display. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, sports a 20-megapixel camera and includes Sony's Triluminous display technology for a better picture for video playback.

Image: Mashable, Pete Pachal

GUNNAR Optiks Color Update

Five new colors were introduced in the GUNNAR Optiks collection. The colors are Cobalt, Fire, Kryptonite, Ghost and Ink. As with the other Optiks glasses, the lenses offer a slight magnification and help filter out harsh light.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-Hansen

Sony Launches 'World's Lightest' Mirrorless Wi-Fi Camera

Sony claims the α5000 is the lightest Wi-Fi mirrorless camera you can buy, with a body that weighs just 8 ounces. It has a 20.1-megapixel APS-C sensor, as well as Sony's BIONZ image-processing tech, which the company says can reduce noise in low-light photos.

Image: Mashable, Pete Pachal

Samsung's Galaxy NotePro and TabPro Tablets

Samsung is supercharging its tablet line with its new Galaxy NoteProand TabPro tablets. The new tablets, which go up to sizes as big as 12.2-inches, are designed to, in Samsung's words, "redefine what a tablet can do."

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-Hansen

Samsung Curved Televisions

Samsung's U9000 UHD TVs feature a wider field of view and a balanced and uniform viewing distance across all areas of the screen. The company claims that a curved TV offers up to two times the enhanced contrast ratio of a flat TV in a normal viewing environment.

EyeLock Myris

The Eyelock Myris takes biometric security to the next level. Plug this device into your device's USB port, and it will scan your eye to grant access.

Image: Mashable, Kenny Suleimanagich

LG G Flex

LG G Flex, the first curved phone with a "flexible" display, is moving out of the lab and into U.S. markets in the first quarter of 2014.

Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker

Panasonic Facial-Recognition TV

Panasonic has dropped the production of plasma TVs, instead focus efforts on increased levels of interaction. The Life+ will come in both 4K and 1080p, but the real feature of note is facial recognition.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier-Hansen

Pebble Steel Debut

For CES 2014, Pebble is showing off its new Pebble 2.0 software, the Pebble app store and Pebble Steel, its premium smart watch. Like the original Pebble, the Pebble Steel is waterproof and has a battery life of 5 to 7 days. The e-paper display is the same, too — only now it's covered with Corning Gorilla Glass.

Image: Pebble

Sharp's New Aquos Quattron+ TVs

Sharp's Aquos Quattron technology is capable of creating a picture that comes close to 4K, but from a 1080p set. The new TV's start at a decent price point – the SQ Q+ TVs start a $2,299.99 and the UQ models start at $2,999.99.

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